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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · date · stick · kid · wind · scale · stock · can

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — goods
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — shares
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com